To Bake a Cake at Midnight
by 4thFromTheFurnace
Summary: Stella sneaks into the kitchen at 3 o'clock in the morning, intent on cooking something when she runs into someone she didn't expect to be awake.  -Noctella-


**Disclaimer: Does not own Final Fantasy Versus XIII.**

**This is the Poll-Runner Up fanfiction to the last poll.**

Poof!

The flour exploded into a white dusty cloud when it plunked into the large cooking basin. This initiated a string of coughs from the awkward cook, who waved her hand back and forth in front of her face to clear the air. This wasn't exactly turning out the way she wanted it to. She never expected it to be so difficult.

She had helped out the servants before, but they would never let her get her warrior princess hands dirty in cooking and dirty cleaning. Thus, here she was, sneaking into the kitchen at three o'clock in the morning with a lantern and a chicken-scratched recipe written on a handkerchief. She had managed to watch the cooks enough to have a general idea where they kept some of the ingredients, but having no idea how to go about cooking put her at a slight disadvantage.

Still, her determination held and she refused to give up. At least she had enough sense to know where the eggs were instead of having to go fifty miles to find the nearest farm like she did last year. Still, she felt like she was forgetting something.

After mixing a good bit of her ingredients with a large wooden spoon, she bent down, trying to quietly scrounge for a large baking pan without disrupting the whole castle. She tried not to worry. Everyone was busy with the preparations for the annual celebration of the peace between kingdoms. Therefore, even if they were up this early, most of the feast's foods wouldn't be made until the next day and the servants would be preoccupied with castle and courtyard arrangements. Therefore, there was nothing to worry about.

Her eyes glanced over at the recipe. Now, how was she supposed to get the furnace going? Maybe she should leave it for later that day, when one of the cooks would put it in the furnace, perhaps with the thought that it was an order from someone important; then after it was done she would steal it away and use it for her own purposes.

Daintily walking over to a large barrel, she plucked out a few exotic fruits and extracted a small knife from the counter. With that, she returned to her spot and began to peel the fruits, careful to not cut herself in the lantern's dim light. Her face contorted into a tense, determined frown, intensely focused on the task at hand. After peeling the scarlet fruits, she cut them into thin slices and threw them into the cooking basin.

She had to be forgetting something.

Finally, she gathered the ingredients for the most difficult yet most delicious part of the job: creating the chocolate. She took this very seriously, as a slight mistake could upset the balance and waste precious ingredients. Oh, how lovely it would taste…

And so she began her second favorite part of cooking: the chocolate, which would be followed inevitably by her first favorite part: getting to eat it, granting that a certain someone would let her have a piece. All the more reason to keep it a secret.

If the cooks found out she was here, she would get in a good amount of trouble for sure, not to mention if HE found her here. She would never live it down. Plus, if any of the palace staff discovered her, she would probably be barricaded in her room for the rest of the celebration. Although, she had already been here for three or four hours, and in a way it was a bit surprising that no one had caught her yet. Where was everyone?

She gripped the spoon tightly as she mixed the chocolate's ingredients together. The sound of the wood scraping against the metal of the small mixing bowl echoed softly against the walls of the kitchen. Her eyes were transfixed on the bowl, which slowly began to turn into a chocolate color.

A slight smile painted itself on her face, a sense of warmth building inside her. She then silently slipped into a daydream, thinking about how her creation was going to turn out and seeing his face when he saw it. A genuine soft grin on her face, she began to hum a soft and joyful little tune. She was so distracted she didn't hear anyone come in.

Her attention so focused on her work, she couldn't hear a set of footsteps slowly coming closer. Finally, she felt a shadow behind her just as the culprit seized her around the waist, his soft, heavy breath tickling the nape of her neck.

She let out a gasp as a shiver shot up her spine, her back arching to accommodate the shock. The figure fitted his muscular abdomen against her back, whispering huskily into her ear, "What are you up to, dear princess, so late at night?"

A gentle sigh of relief heaved through her body as she relaxed, her shock replaced with something more like nervousness. Her eyes fumbled about, her expression like that of a kid caught with his hand in the cookie jar, "Oh, Noctis…what brings you here?"

He let out a gruff groan, "Mm. Couldn't sleep. You know how…boring all those meetings are. And when I uh, woke up in the middle of the night, the bed was empty." He spoke softly, almost struggling with the implications of the words.

She couldn't help but chuckle, "Oh, so you missed me."

He nuzzled his face shyly into her hair, "Hn."

The nagging reminder of her objective tugged at the back of her brain. She had to get him out of here.

"Come on, Noct, you haven't had much sleep at all this week. Go back upstairs."

He shook his head, still burying his face in her golden tresses. She gave a sweet smile to herself, her back still towards him, "You've been so busy, Love, go ahead and get some rest. I'll be up in a little while."

The swordsman's arms snaked tighter around her waist as he breathed into her ear. She shivered lightly in his arms. A slight disappointed sound came from his lips, "Oh, Stella. Don't do this to me."

The young woman swallowed hard, knowing fully that he wasn't always as shy and reserved when he was half asleep. A slight squeak escaped her lips when she felt his face in her neck. His lips caressed the side of her neck as lightly as a Chocobo's feather, sending another round of trembles through her nerves. He then moved to kiss the junction between her neck and shoulder, causing her to release a slight yelp.

Her soft cry sent the signals exploding in his brain. He inhaled deeply, kissing her from her neck and shoulders to her jawline, relishing in the soft noises she made when he nipped at her outer ear. He slowly pulled her around with his right arm, his lips still massaging her neckline. Her eyes had long closed and her arms delicately wrapped around the back of his head, threading her fingers through his dark, silvery hair. She slightly pulled back enough so his mouth could separate from her and she could stand face to face with him.

He gave a coy smile and leaned forward, licking the flour off her face. Stella jumped slightly as a giggle erupted from her throat, which led Noctis to kiss her face and jaw with a bit more ferocity before she separated from him, her eyes half closed as their breaths danced against each other's mouths.

However, this didn't last long as their mingled breaths became one. He inhaled her sweet taste as he kissed her. His hands gripped her waist and moved agonizingly slowly up and down her back. She, in turn, softly but powerfully moved her lips against his, reveling in her young husband's affections.

Stella knew that his rare expressions weren't just the product of stress, lust, or frustration. Sure, as a man, he suffered psychologically when he was unable to see her for long periods of time, thus making him hate his royal status even more. However, he never spoke all that much and he was definitely not the kind to spew poetry. So this was how he showed her how much he missed her and how much he loved her, she could always tell just by the look in his eyes.

He moaned gently against her mouth as their breathing slowed. His hands remained at their resting place on her hips as her concoction caught his attention. She hesitantly broke the kiss and gave an awkward laugh. Stella was too busy trying to cover up her project to notice his stomach groaning loudly. He frowned and inquired, his eyes narrowed in curiosity, "So, what are you making?"

Stella quickly detangled herself from his arms and parked herself in front of the cooking basin in an effort to keep him from seeing her creation, "You can't see it yet, Noct. It's uh…um…it's a surprise." She stammered.

A slight suspicious smirk spread across his face as he looked his frazzled little wife in the eye. He finally shook his head and then nodded towards the stairs, "In that case, I have a surprise for you."

An uneasy feeling crept through Stella's stomach as the prince caught her wrist with his large hand and led her up the stairs. She quickly sputtered, "But, Noctis, I can't—I'm covered in flour!"

He just kept tugging her up the steps until they reached the top, where he ordered her to cover her eyes and he took her hands and led her forward. She laughed softly, "Noct, what are you doing?"

The prince simply shushed her and continued to lead her down the hall, "Don't worry, be patient."

The blonde sighed, "Noctis, I should know our own castle by now."

His gruff voice answered her, "Just wait."

She felt his hands drift away from her, so she stood still as a large door creaked open, light from inside flooding her eyelids. Stella then heard the prince's voice next to her ear, "Okay, you can open them."

Her eyes opened to the grand ballroom, where the towering chandeliers were lit and glowing and the entire court, nobles, noblewomen, children, castle staff, and friends were all gathered in the large hall. When all glanced over at her and started cheering, Stella could only gaze over the entire company before looking back at Noctis with a confused expression on her face. He smiled and offered her his arm. She took it and they both walked into the room, her feet stepping awkwardly across the floor. She was still completely covered in flour.

Noctis spun her around to face him and placed his hand on her waist, drawing her against him. She naturally resumed a position, ready to dance with him as the band began to play. He leaned over and whispered in her ear, "Happy Anniversary, Stel."

Her eyes widened, completely awestruck, "A-Anniversary?"

Oh snap. She glanced around and smiled at him, a slight red tint across her face, "Oh, Noctis. Thank you so much."

Stella gave a sigh and tried to calm down a bit. Wow, he had really outdone himself. She wasn't used to this kind of attention. Especially when she was in her nightgown and drenched in flour. As he led her in a slightly awkward waltz, the crowd slowly dispersed into dancing and conversation. While the rest of the room was occupied, the young couple inched towards the outskirts of the crowd.

The prince's calm eyes descended on the young woman. He bent over, huskily whispering in her ear, "How about we turn in early tonight?"

A slight pink tinged her cheeks, "But, Noctis! It's six o'clock in the morning!"

He mumbled, fumbling a bit with his words as he tried to remain suave yet sincere, his earlobes turning visibly red, "Princess…that's the best time."

Once again, her heart began to pound loudly. She grinned sheepishly and wrapped her arms around him, murmuring into his shirt, "You know I couldn't say no to you."

That's when she heard his stomach grumble. He cleared his throat and continued, "So, uh, that cake you were making…"

She gasped, releasing him and looking sorrowfully into his eyes, "Oh, Noctis I'm so sorry! That cake's for the celebration of peace feast tomorrow! I was going to have you taste it and approve of it tonight when I got it done! I totally forgot—"

His bangs hung over his eyes as his visage visibly darkened. His voice finally came, replying icily, "On second thought, I have a meeting early in the morning tomorrow."

With that, he let her go and began to walk away. Stella called after him, struggling to run in her nightgown, "Noctis, wait! Please! I'll make you one too!"

**I'm hoping that this flows alright, the end seems a little choppy. Anywho, thanks for reading, I know this one's more erotic than mine usually are. I thought it'd be a nice comedy to relieve me of some stress and maybe provide some entertainment! I love you guys and I'm praying for you! -Cheeseball out-**


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